Snickerdoodles!

Now for my current baking craze. Do you ever get these?

I’ve been on one—bread mainly (more on that soon), but cookies too. It strikes me that it’s been a long time since I posted any cookie recipes and so today, I thought I’d share the family Snickerdoodle recipe.

These crinkly topped cookies have been always been one of my favorites. Nana would let my brother and I help her make them when we were kids. It was great fun. Who wouldn’t love rolling dough into balls through a sandbox of cinnamon sugar, then licking the extra off your fingers? It was much more fun than play dough!

At my house, they MUST be made in the traditional fashion with cream of tarter and baking soda. No modern variations for us…

Spicy, sweet and crispy tender, you’ll find it impossible to eat just one.

Snickerdoodles

Makes about 5 dozen—don’t worry, they freeze beautifully.

1 cup     butter

1 cup     margarine or shortening

3 cups    sugar

4            eggs

2 tsp.     vanilla

4 tsp.     cream of tarter

5 1/3      flour

2 tsp.     baking soda

½ tsp.    salt
1 cup     cinnamon sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Beat butter, margarine, and sugar until fluffy, add in eggs one at a time, beating until each is thoroughly incorporated.

In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients.

Add dry ingredients to butter and sugar mixture—mixing until all dry ingredients are moistened.

Form dough into balls and roll in cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Cookies will look a little under-baked. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before moving to cooling rack.

Raspberry Ribbons

Every year about this time, and for as long as I can remember, my mother has spent hours in the kitchen baking. She makes the most amazing cookies, fudge, holiday snack mix, and breads! They all have a special place in my heart but the one I’m going to share today is by far my favorite. These cookies are very easy to make, tasty, and beautiful to boot—a great recipe to make with the kids, who love to drizzle on the glaze. Enjoy and Happy Holiday’s!

Start with a basic butter cookie dough:
1 C Butter
½ C Sugar
1 egg
2 ½ C Flour
1 tsp. Vanilla
¼ tsp. Salt
1-2 Tbs. Water if needed

Mix the above ingredients in a food processor until they moisten slightly. Dump out onto your counter and kneed a few times until the crumbs form into a ball. Wrap ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Cut your ball into 4 equal pieces and shape into ropes about ½ inch thick. Place on parchment lined baking sheet. Use your finger to make a trough in each rope. Bake for 7-8 minutes at 350 degrees.

Remove cookies and fill each trough with your favorite jelly or jam. We like raspberry jelly best. Return the jelly filled cookies to the oven for an additional 6-10 minutes or until the cookie is set and slightly brown on the bottom.

Glaze:
1 Tbs. softened Cream Cheese
3 Tbs. Milk
1 ½ C Confectioners Sugar.

Combine the milk and Cream Cheese, whisk until there are no lumps. Add Sugar and beat until smooth. Drizzle over cookies with back of teaspoon. Cut into diamonds and enjoy.